The Montenegrin big man came up big for the Turkish team
Marko Simonovic instrumental as Bahcesehir reached semifinals
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3 Mins read
Things were not looking too good for Bahcesehir College Istanbul 10 minutes into its quarterfinal bout against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in the BKT EuroCup Playoffs, with Dejan Radonjic's side trailing 7-24 on their home floor, but Marko Simonovic made sure it turned out to be a happy night at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall.
Bahcesehir ended up securing an 85-81 win to book its place in the EuroCup Semifinals in just its second season in the competition, but that first quarter was nothing short of horrendous. After CJ Massinburg drained a three-pointer with Bahcesehir's first shot of the game, the next 16 offenses until the end of the first quarter saw the hosts miss 10 shots, pick up 4 turnovers and draw a couple of shooting fouls, hitting all 4 free throws to trail 7-24.
When Aleksej Nikolic and DJ Stewart each struck from downtown, Bahcesehir was forced to call a timeout at 11-30. Simonovic had come off the bench late in the first quarter in what was a special game for him.
Born in Montenegro, Simonovic joined Olimpija Ljubljana before the start of the 2018-19 season. He took the opportunity to play against his former team to rescue Bahcesehir when his team was on the verge of elimination.
Simonovic found his rhythm by drawing a couple of shooting fouls, hitting all 4 free-throw attempts. He soon added a three-pointer from the top of the key and scored twice in the paint to single-handedly bring Bahcesehir within single digits, 26-35. In those four minutes, he outscored Cedevita 11-5.
He remained a solid force in the paint, balancing his team's offense on an off night for fellow big man Tai Odiase. Simonovic also hit a pair of key free throws with 21.9 seconds remaining which allowed Bahcesehir to seal the outcome, 83-77. He finished the game with a personal-best 20 points on 4 of 6 two-pointers, also hitting his only three-point attempts and 9 of his 10 foul shots. Simonovic also had 4 rebounds, 1 assists, 3 steals and 6 fouls drawn for a career-high PIR of 27.
After the game, Simonovic highlighted his team's effort, as a unit, to rally past Cedevita and reach the next round.
"We were supposed to change the game. We didn't start the right way. We changed the game, especially in the fourth quarter," Simonovic said. "We played well in the third quarter but again, they played better than us. But our fourth quarter was crucial. I'm really happy and proud of this team, of these guys, of those people who are working in this club.
"So now [we go to the] semifinals, we have to prepare all the games and go forward as much as we can. I just want to say this. This is a team win. We play good like a team: one game it's me, another game it's some other player. From the beginning, we show everyone that we are playing like a team."
This is Simonovic's second EuroCup semifinal in as many seasons in the competition. Last season, he joined Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul late in the regular season, helping his team qualify to the playoffs and eliminate both Dreamland Gran Canaria and Hapoel Tel Aviv before losing in the best-of-three semifinals against Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse.
Simonovic now hopes to take Bahcesehir even higher at the end of the 2024-25 EuroCup season.